Russian Roulette
by Broken Headphones
Summary: After having a fight with Edward, Envy comes home to find the house a mess, and Edward is nowhere to be found. After he receives a call from a sadistic madman, he has to play a twisted game of hide-and-seek to find his lover and save the boy's life.
1. Stolen

**This is to make up for deleting **_**Thirteen**_**. It's still Edward x Envy. Enjoy the yaoi! No Alphonse; sorry for any disappointments.**

**And to quell those who think the relationship is incestuous, it'll be manga-centric, but AU.**

How had it ended up like this? Here I was, pleasuring the Fullmetal Runt by kissing, licking, biting anything I could, and he's writhing underneath me, yelling and moaning. His fists gripped my hair and pulled it nearly out of my scalp. I kissed his lips tenderly but roughly, enjoying the deep-throated moans that resonated from his chest. I'm still curious as to how it got this way. Calling him the Fullmetal Runt will probably get me killed, but hey, he can't read minds.

"E-Envy!" he shouted. I hummed into his ear, kissing it, as I moved in and out. He arched and gripped my shoulders painfully. I flinched. That metal arm of his could break someone's bone if he wanted it to. I reached down, grabbing his hand to help him pump his member. He had reached down when I wasn't looking.

"You're eager tonight, aren't you, Edward?" I breathed through a voice filled with lust. He groaned in reply, bucking against my hips and hand. I bent down and kissed his neck, feeling the sweat wet my lips. I thrust in hard, hearing him scream in my ear. I would have flinched if the sound wasn't the sexiest thing I had ever heard. I took one of his nipples in my mouth, giving it another round of treatment, feeling his back bend clean off the mattress.

"En…Envy…" His breath became labored. "I…I'm gonna…" He groaned. I kissed him again and quickened my pace, pounding relentlessly into his prostate. His screams became louder. I groaned as he clenched, bringing me near my own orgasm. His body convulsed and shook as his seed spilled over our chests, and I came violently not too long after him. My arms shook and I let myself fall down beside him. I pulled out, listening as we breathed to slow our hearts; the pleasure from our orgasms slowly faded until it was nothing but a small heat running through our blood. I looked over at Edward. His eyes were closed as he took in long, deep breaths and let them out slowly through his nose. I reached over and stroked his cheek. He opened his eyes slightly and moved his head to look at me.

"I love you," he breathed. I paused. Did I really have to say it? He knew very well that I loved him. He knew, also, that it was hard for me to express any sort of human emotions because, well, I wasn't human. Sure, in another life, I might have been. But right now I wasn't. I was some artificial being made by the millions of souls from Xerxes. He should understand, right? I guess not. He fell asleep as I was thinking with a slight frown on his face. Didn't he always look like that?

I wasn't that tired yet. (Hey, I'm a homunculus; I'm not limited to a source of energy like humans. Remember that!) I turned around, pulling the covers higher up against me, looking out the window above our bed. The waning moon tried to light up the room, but only succeeded in illuminating the bed. I wondered how Lust and the other homunculi were getting along. My betrayal must have been a pretty good shock to them, and I guess Father was waiting to do something, because my stone has yet to be stolen from me.

I turned over again. Edward was lying away from me. He even had grudges in his sleep! My eyes traveled down the length of his back, inspecting the scar that was left over after a wound inflicted by Lust. Every time I thought about that woman, I wanted to slap that bitch hard across the face. The scar was a long, painful looking gash right down the line of his spine. If he moved too much or lifted something too heavy, his back would start hurting, and I'd make him lie down or take a nap. He wouldn't admit it, but the scar was painful and hurt him sometimes.

I turned back over and glanced at the clock. Not even two in the morning, and I was already thinking about unnecessary things. I finally gave up on trying to think too deep about anything or being poetic and shifted underneath the blankets. I relaxed and closed my eyes. Fatigue took its hold on me and dragged me under. I was soon delved into a quiet, dreamless sleep. It would be one of those mornings, I thought drowsily, where something goes wrong. Something always went wrong whenever I slept without dreaming.

I thought the night would never end, and when morning came, I smiled. The sunlight was warm, birds outside were chirping, and I stretched myself out, groaning. The bed was empty. The aroma of bacon sifted into the cracked door, waking me up further. I sat up, then remembered that I was stark naked, and decided to take a quick shower to wash the smell of sex off of me. I walked into the hallway and found a towel, quickly wrapping it around my waist in case Edward decided to walk up the stairs.

The shower was hot and felt nice against my waking cells. I sighed as I took special care of washing my long, flowing hair and rubbed the soap over my arms, legs, and chest. I leaned against the tiled walls and closed my eyes. I was still tired. I wanted to sleep some more, but I couldn't. I had to work today. Against my will, I turned the water of the shower off, dried my hair and body, shook my feet off into the tub, and wrapped the towel around my waist. I held it in place as I let the blinds down over the windows and rummaged through the dresser. After struggling to find anything in the dresser that would match, I remembered that all of the clothes belonged to Edward, not me, and I quickly transmuted some to myself. After checking myself in the mirror, I made my way downstairs.

"Good morning," I greeted, giving myself another stretch. Edward was watching the news on a small television and drinking a cup of coffee. He watched as I walked in and poured myself some. He was silent. He was in another one of his moods again. That usually meant make-up sex later, but the look on his face told me that whatever he wanted to talk about was serious.

"Envy," he said. He turned the television off. I felt my stomach drop to my knees. He was younger, shorter, and weaker than me, but when he got angry, he suddenly got a few power boosts and could kick my ass down the street. I would have to be careful not to tease him if I wanted to keep my life.

"Yes, Edward?" I replied calmly with a tinge of curiosity.

"Do you love me?" He's still worked up over something as trivial as that? I sighed and turned my back towards him, pouring myself a cup of coffee. "Envy." From the tone of his voice, I guessed that he didn't like me not facing him. "Envy, look at me."

"What is it?" I turned back towards him. He had finished his coffee already and was walking to the sink, which just happened to be beside me.

"Do you love me or not?" he pressed. He set the cup into sink and turned to face me. I took a quick swallow of the bitter liquid. His eyes fixed harshly onto me. "Well?"

"I do," I said, turning away quickly. He lashed out and grabbed my arm before I could get two steps away. I felt my chest tighten. Either the sex was going to be amazing, or I was about to be up to my eyeballs in trouble.

"Then why don't you ever tell me?" I could hear him trying not to cry. "You haven't told me a single time that you loved me since this relationship started. Why?" I placed the mug onto the counter so that I wouldn't drop it and turned to face him. His golden eyes smoldered as he glared at me. His forehead pulled together and the space between his brows wrinkled. I wanted to hug him, but he'd just fight me. I glanced at the clock.

"I'll be late if I don't get to work soon," I said. He gripped my arm tighter and jerked it violently, catching my attention. It didn't hurt, but it pissed me off. "Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"I'm _talking to you_," he spat. "I want a real answer from you, Envy, and none of that 'I'm not human so it's hard to express my feelings' bullshit. I want a real answer. Why can't you tell me seriously, looking into my eyes, that you love me?"

"If this is what's working you up…," I started, but he squeezed my arm tightly. His auto-mail was going to leave a bruise on my arm. I narrowed my eyes. "Stop this, Edward. You're making a mountain out of a molehill. We'll talk when I get home from work today. I'm going to be late now."

"I don't care!" He looked ready to hit me. "I just want to know if you love me or not!"

"Why!" I demanded, my voice seething. His eyes widened in surprise, and he backed away. "Why is it so Goddamned important that I need to say those words to you? Is your little human brain not yet taking in that I do? Why? Why is it so important to know?"

"So I know whether or not to leave you."

I felt the slap before I realized what was going on. My hand had acted on its own. Edward was curled up on the floor, fingering his red cheek, and my hand stung from the skin-to-skin contact and turned red. I looked down at my hand and back up to him. He stared at me with a look of betrayal. I swallowed and took a step towards him. He scrambled to his feet, backing away from me. He flinched when I tried to reach out for him.

"Edward," I said. "I…I didn't mean…"

He ignored me. Quickly, he turned around and walked out of the room. I heard the front door slam. I stared at my hand and immediately wanted to cut it off. It would grow back. One nice, clean cut would rid of the hand that had hurt my lover, and a new one would grow in its place. I then wanted to slap myself for thinking that.

"Shit shit _shit_!" I bellowed, hitting the wall with enough force to plow my fist through into the other room. I panted, breathing out my anger, before yanking my fist out of the wall. It had cuts and was bleeding from rubbing against the sharp ends of the broken planks. I watched as the Philosopher's Stone in my chest healed up the wounds. I clenched my fist and cracked my knuckles.

I remembered that I had work. I quickly grabbed a piece of paper, wrote down a note, stuck it on the refrigerator, and grabbed my coat. Taking one last look at the place Edward had fallen down, I turned and closed the front door behind me. The sun was blaring down on my back as I transmuted myself into a dog, shaking myself. Then I crouched and pressed forward, running as fast as I could. I was twenty minutes late to work. The boss had a field day pointing out to others how bad of a worker I was. He would make a good punching bag later.

I finally finished my shift and spent the rest of the day brooding. Or pouting. Whichever term is used in this case, it doesn't really matter. I was really upset that I had hit Edward. Across the _face_ no less. I had, not even two months ago, promised myself that I wouldn't let anyone hurt Edward, and here I was contradicting that promise.

"I'll have to make it up to him," I said to myself as a young girl ran by with a dog chasing close behind her. It was a lap dog, one of those anyone could punt across the street. "He's going to be so pissed off."

I managed to convince myself to go home. It was almost six o'clock. He would either be waiting for me, or I'd be sleeping outside. I transmuted myself and quickly ran the two miles home. I stopped a few feet away from the house, turning back into a human. When I came to the porch, I immediately knew something was wrong.

Half of the front door was gone. The half that was still on its hinges was falling off them, and the other half was splayed over the hallway. I managed to almost convince myself that Edward had come home and kicked the door open in an angry frenzy. But after doing so, he would have put the pieces back together. I hurried inside. Immediately, I found his boots thrown across the living room, and his coat was torn and lying on the floor in front of the couch. I walked in and looked around. I picked up his coat. My stomach dropped.

His auto-mail arm was lying beneath it. It was tattered and torn, with a few wires hanging loose. Two of the fingers were missing from it. I clenched my teeth together and started up the stairs. The phone rang, making me pause. I listened to it ring a few more times and leapt over the railing. I rushed to the phone. I stopped again when I heard the answering machine. It clicked. There was a sickening laugh.

"So," a voice drawled sinisterly, "you're the one with the green hair? You're not all that hot." The very first thing this bastard says just so happens to be an insult to my looks. I didn't like him already. "This blonde boy of yours is pretty cute. I like him a lot. I fucked him earlier." I clenched my fists. I yanked up the phone.

"Where are you!" I barked. I heard him laugh. I had just given him what every idiot in this world wants: attention.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" he asked. I listened intently. I could hear a light sobbing from the background. "Why don't you come get him?"

"I will!" I slammed my hand against the wall. "And I promise you, you bastard, when I find you I won't be merciful!" He howled.

"I like you too! You aren't cute, but you've got spunk." Again, I beat against the wall.

"Where the fuck are you!"

He laughed again. "You won't find me. You don't have a chance…" 

"Envy!" I gasped. Edward was yelling into the phone despite his sobbing. "He's in a casino! A hotel off the outskirts of the cit…" His sentence was cut off by a sound that I recognized as a slap. He didn't speak anymore. I ground my fist into the wall.

"You touch him, and I'll rip off your head!"

"I have a proposition, Envy," he said. My legs shook. What was he going to do? If I said the wrong thing or did something to make him mad, he might kill Edward. I did the smartest thing I could in that situation and stayed silent. "I'm bored. So, entertain me. A small game of hide-and-seek. I'll hide, and you seek."

"…" I didn't say anything right away. I made sure to choose my words carefully before replying. "Are you going to move around?"

"Sure." He laughed again. "This'll be a special kind of hide-and-seek. I'll set up obstacles for you, and I'll set time limits. If you don't find me by the time the game is over, I'll kill him." His laughter grew louder. I felt my stomach fall.

"Don't you dare touch him…," I said grimly. "Don't you dare…" I heard a gasp. My chest tightened.

"He's submissive," the guy purred. "Your partner? You taught him well." I heard another gasp, followed by a long moan. I recognized the voice as Edward's.

"I'll kill you!"

He laughed at me. "Come find me, Envy."

He hung up. I gripped the phone, hoping that maybe the click I heard wasn't him hanging up, but maybe him dropping the phone. The dial tone proved me wrong. I looked at it before throwing it against the wall with a cry. It hit and smashed into little, electronic pieces. I stormed upstairs. I grabbed one of Edward's coats (it was big on him, so he refused to even take it out of the closet), his gun, and stuffed my cell phone in one of the pockets. I went back downstairs and retrieved the number from the caller ID. (I had to use the other phone, since I broke the one I used to talk to him.)

"Just you wait you damn sicko," I muttered as I walked out of the house. "I'll kill you with my own hands. If you hurt Edward anymore, I'll make sure you pay for it tenfold!"


	2. Too Late

**Do **_**not**_** make fun of the names! I am horrible at naming places!**

I paid the cab driver and stepped out. A casino on the outskirts of town; that wasn't much of a clue. There were three of them outside the city; The Circle, Underground, and Hell's Funhouse. All of them were large casino chains that had polluted the minds of the citizens. Edward and I had visited one on a whim. The only good thing there was the hotel rooms. The music in each room was so loud that you couldn't hear anyone having sex next door. I should know.

"A casino on the outside of the city…," I mumbled to myself. Mentally, I made a map of the city, including the outskirts. The closest one to my position right now was Underground, the dirtiest of the three. One out of every ten thousand people who visited that casino got rich, and every one of those poor suckers was killed in the parking lot for their winnings, and their killers were killed. I didn't like going there, but my best bet was in that casino. I pulled out my cell phone and flipped through my contacts until I found the number I was looking for. The bastard had Edward's cell phone with him. I pressed call and put the phone against my ear.

"Hello?" I heard after two rings. I could hear his grin on his face. He knew it was me from the caller ID.

"Hey, bitch," I returned. "You mind giving me a hint as to which damn casino you're in? I want to kick your ass, and I want to kick it hard."

"Such foul language." He chuckled. "But I guess scolding you will only make you want to hit me in the mouth harder, huh?"

"You read my mind." I grinned sadistically. He was going to pay. "So, how do you want to do this? I want to finish this shit now."

"Such a rush! Why don't we take things slow a bit?" I couldn't hear Edward. I strained my best to listen to the background for any noises or gasps or (God forbid them) moans. But everything was silent. As if he could read my mind, the bastard said, "Oh, your boyfriend's alive. He's just tired from the 'fun' we've been having. He has a hell of a set of lungs on him."

"I'll murder you," I seethed. He laughed at me again.

"So I've heard." There was a pause. "I left a hint for you at a shop you and Edward used to frequent. You'll know which one it is."

"I will seriously kill you."

"Promises, promises." I heard him laugh again, and a groan on the other end. He stopped laughing. "Oh, your boyfriend's awake! Would you like to speak to him?" I probably would have grinned like an idiot had I not noticed the sarcasm in his voice. There was a pause before I heard Edward scream. This time, it wasn't out of unwanted pleasure. He was genuinely afraid of whoever had him captive. He had screamed from fear of waking up to find out that this hell he was living in wasn't just a bad dream. "He's balled up in a corner right now, glaring at me. Or, he's trying. He looks afraid. What a beautiful sight."

"If you do anything further to him, I swear…," I started. I had run out of threats.

"You'll what? You'll kill me? Rip my head off? You don't have very many threats left for me," he said. "So why don't you stop trying to intimidate me, and go find that clue if you want your lover back? You have thirty minutes before I move to the next location." He hung up. I shoved the phone back into my pocket after shutting it off.

"The man said a place that Ed and I used to frequent," I said to myself. We had frequented plenty of places. Restaurants, grocery stores, we had been all over town. But it had to be some place that we been to plenty of times. I made a mental list in my head of all the places we had been more than ten times. That left five places: a small café just around the corner from where I was, a bookstore that Edward loved to go in, a supermarket about two blocks away from where I was, a coffee shop where we sometimes met Winry (she still hates my guts), and a bar that we stopped by every other day to talk to the owner. Most people knew our names simply by seeing us walk in together. The coffee shop was actually owned by a close friend of mine. (Don't ask how we met. It's a really long story that I'd rather not get into.)

I decided to go to the closest thing: the café. The owner liked Edward better than me, but if she heard the little runt was in trouble, she might be able to help me.

I quickly ran around the corner and entered the café. The woman turned around and smiled. When she saw me, she frowned. Yeah, she still hated me.

"Welcome, Envy," she said as she approached with her hands on her hips. "You're alone. Did Edward finally leave you?" She smirked as if she was hoping so. I smirked.

"No, he didn't," I said back, crossing my fingers. "We're like this, literally. You should see us when we…"

"Alright, asshole, I've heard enough." She held up her hands. "Table for one?"

"I don't have time. A got a call saying someone might have left a message for me. I only have…" I looked at the clock and guessed. "Sixteen minutes. Did someone come by?" She jutted her hips out to one side. Her eyes looked me up and down to see if I was lying. I rolled my eyes. "What?"

"Sorry, honey, but no one came by." She turned around.

"Ed's in trouble." I blurted it out before I could stop myself. She turned back towards me. She glared. "Lois, I'm not joking. Someone kidnapped Edward while I was at work, and he left a note for me at some place. I have to find it and get Ed back. Did someone leave a note here or not?"

_Swack_

I felt the slap hard. It nearly sent me reeling. I blinked back tears as my cheek stung and turned back towards Lois. She glared at me hard. "You let my baby boy get _kidnapped_?" she demanded. I wasn't going to be the one to tell her that Edward wasn't her "baby boy." "Son, you better find the son of a bitch that did that, or else I'll have your head on a platter."

"So no one came by here with a message for me?" I asked, ignoring the burning sting in my cheek. She shook her head. I swore under my breath so that people who were watching me get my ass handed to me by an old woman wouldn't hear. "Well, thanks anyways. That slap helped wake me up."

"Come by anytime. I'll give you another one." She turned away and waved. She glared at the others who were staring at our conversation. "What are you creeps looking at? Leave a woman and her friend to their privacy! Get back to eating!" They did so in order to avoid being hit by her.

"Yo, Lois!" She turned towards me. "You have my number. If someone comes by here asking about me, call and stall him for awhile! Okay?"

"Don't tell me what to do!" She gave me a thumbs-up. I smiled. Sometimes that woman knows what a guy needs, and sometimes she just likes beating those weaker than her (or scared of her) around. I couldn't tell which one was involved in this situation, but I simply hoped for the former and got back to my search. I started towards the next location that I could think of: the bookstore.

The owner was a nice, senile old man. It was sometimes amazing that the old fart could remember how to tie his shoes, nonetheless he could remember Edward's and my names. He always had some piece of advice for us, whether we needed it or not. (Most of the time, we didn't need it, but we didn't tell him that.) His granddaughter was an actress who often visited the store. She just so happened to be there with a script in one hand, a bagel in the other, and she was attracting quite a crowd as she rehearsed. When she saw me, she jumped down from the table (her stage) she was standing on and rushed over, pulling my into a sloppy hug.

"Envy! So good to see you!" she said as she pulled away. "I haven't seen you in weeks! Did Edward send you to do the shopping again?" I faked a laugh. She noticed it right away. "What? What's wrong?"

"It deals with Edward," I said, lowering my voice as a few people inched closer. "Can we talk somewhere with a bit more privacy?"

"Oh, sure!" She grabbed my hand and pulled me through the aisles into the back of the store where employees were only allowed. Then she turned on me. "What is it? Is something wrong? What's wrong with Edward?"

"Slow down! One question at a time, please." I paused to make sure she wasn't going to ask anything else. Then I continued. "Ed and I had a fight yesterday."

"What did you do?"

"Why do you immediately assume it's me?"

"I _know_ you, Envy."

I didn't answer right away. "Alright, fine, you got me. Anyways, Ed was kidnapped yesterday while I was at work." The bagel and script both hit the floor as soon as the news came. She looked as if she would choke on the air she was breathing. I reached for her in case she would faint and fall, but she held up her hands.

"Oh my God!" she cried once she could breathe. "How did this happen!"

"You're asking the wrong guy." I shifted. "Listen, I just want to know if someone left…"

"Yes!" I didn't get to finish my sentence as she fumbled to retain her script. The bagel was left to rot. "Someone came by the day before! They said that if you ever came by they wanted you to have a note! Goddammit, where did I put the stupid…" She rushed out, dragging me along with her, to the front counter. She started leafing through papers. Her grandfather waved at me and rung a customer's items up.

"Granddaddy!" she said in a huff. "I can't find the note that the guy left the other day."

"A note?" the old man asked, looking towards her. "What note?"

"The one I got the other day. You remember, that guy with the sweatshirt-hoodie came in and asked us to give a note to Envy…" She somehow had gotten into the routine of talking with her hands, and right now those suckers were screaming at the grandpa. The old man rubbed his chin.

"When did he come in?"

"Two days ago!" The girl huffed and started looking again. I would have given up and left if Edward's life wasn't hanging in the balance. The old man shrugged and looked at the woman he was servicing. He studied her for a moment.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

Yep, the old bastard's senile.

"Oh, here it is!" She picked up the paper and handed it to me. I snatched it away. "Hey, calm down. You got the stupid thing, didn't you? Chill out." She frowned as I fumbled to open the folded piece of paper. I narrowed my eyes.

"What the hell is this?" I asked. "This doesn't make any sense." I crumpled the paper and thanked her for her time. She gave me a bemused look as I rounded the counter and walked out of the store. I checked my watch and swore loud enough to catch an officer's attention. I only had five minutes left until that bastard would move. I opened the note again and read what was written on it.

" 'Hell is too good for you, but where we are is close enough.'" I bit the inside of my lip as the officer began to approach me. There wasn't much to work with. Obviously, The Circle was out. Hell's Funhouse or Underground… By the time I figured it out, the police officer was standing beside me and was about to tap me on the shoulder. However, I scared him senseless when I transmuted myself into my lovely dog form and sprinted off. I would have loved to have seen the look on the officer's face; however, I didn't have the time to look back.

When I finally arrived at my destination, I flung the door open, ignoring the shocked looks of prostitutes and their customers. I recognized my boss among the men trying to inch away from me, but I didn't acknowledge him. The old woman at the counter was smoking a cigar. She looked up at me and puffed out a cloud.

"No more rooms," she told me. "That's why the girls are still down here." I leaned against the counter in front of me.

"I couldn't care less about these broads," I snarled. "Tell me, I got a call to come to the Underground for a friend of mine." The woman eyed me suspiciously.

"Sorry. I don't remember getting a call about people who dress like palm trees."

I swear, one more palm tree joke, and I was going to abandon all self-control and beat this old bitch. Instead, I took a deep, calming breath and opened my eyes. I narrowed them.

"Listen you old hag, a little friend of mine is being held captive here, and I want to meet the little punk who took him away," I said harshly, making her look up from her dirty magazine to look in my eyes. Instantly, they hypnotized her. "So you're either going to tell me where the fuck they are, or I'll skin you alive. I've hurt people who were older than you, and damn it, I'll do it to you." She blinked, trying to overcome the shock of my threat.

"Your friend…?" She trailed off the question. "With gold hair?"

"Yes." I sighed with relief. The lady held her hand just above her head.

"This tall?"

"A little taller." I cocked my brow. Was she toying with me? I received my confirmation when she grinned.

"Sorry, never seen him." She turned right back to her magazine. I lost it. My hand lashed out before I could stop it. It had knocked her magazine out of her hands and gripped tightly around her throat. I didn't let it bother me this time. I was pissed off to no end.

"I'll get him," I hissed. "I'll get that little partner of yours that you're protecting, and believe me, when I find him, he's going to pay. You're next." I released her and she fell back onto the floor. Three whores ran over to help the woman to her feet. She had passed out.

"Get out of here!" one woman cried. She pushed against my chest weakly. "You're sick! How dare you do this to an old woman!"

"_I'm_ sick?" I gripped the girl's arm. "Believe me, girl, there are sicker people in this world. My Father, for example, is probably the sickest one out there. He's sick enough to want to rid the world of humans." She looked at me like I was insane. I probably was. I let go of her, and she pulled away from me violently. "I won't return. If I do, it's most likely to kill all of you."

I waved back as I exited the building. My cell phone vibrated. I pulled it out, scowling when I heard that accursed laughing.

"So, you didn't make it, did you?" he asked. He already knew the answer. I didn't have to tell him a thing. He laughed again. This guy must have had one hell of a sense of humor when he was sane. "I knew it. You're too slow. I'm tempted to just kill the kid right now."

"Don't you dare," I spat. I was beginning to sound repetitive.

"I would offer to let you talk to him, but he almost gave away our location last time; did you figure out where we were?" He sounded honestly curious.

"Yeah. Underground, right?"

"Hell yeah, sucker!" He laughed again.

"Your laugh is pissing me off," I said bluntly. He stopped laughing.

"Well, sorry for being myself." He hung up quickly. I tried calling him, but after getting sent to voicemail three times, I finally gave up. I shoved the phone back into my pocket and sighed.

A shiver ran down my spine. I looked at the ground as I walked towards a crosswalk and stopped behind a crowd. I couldn't take the feeling anymore. I hated ignoring people.

"What do you want, Lust?" I asked.

"So your senses are still as sharp as ever," she mused from behind me. Her Ouroborus must have been covered up. I could hear the hatred in her voice. "It's taking everything I have right now not to gut you in this crowd."

"You'd scar some minds." The light flipped green and I started walking ahead. She followed me. "What do want?"

"I heard from a little blue bird that your boyfriend has gone missing." She chuckled. Giggling was too feminine, even for her. "I thought I'd come by and see what the problem was."

"There is _no_ problem." I shoved my hands into my pockets. "I can take care of everything myself."

"Obviously, you're having trouble keeping your lover under your wing." I could just see the smirk on her dark lips. "Would you like some help? I'm sure that if you get on your knees and stick your face into the dust, Father will forgive you." I shook my head. She sighed.

"You can't say that I didn't give you the offer." I felt the cold chill recede, and with it, the shivering. I sighed, relieved. I'd live another day to find Edward. If the homunculi don't kill me first, this bastard might actually try.


	3. Tic Tac Toe

**I found a recent fascination in David Bowie's music. Is that weird?**

Last night was the first night in almost two years that I had ever slept by myself. The bed seemed so large without someone (as small as they are) lying beside me. I had a hard time getting to sleep, and I almost danced with joy when the sun rose up and illuminated my hotel room. I couldn't return home just yet. If the bastard was in the city, home was the last place I wanted to be.

I took a quick shower (the water was too cold at this stupid place for a normal shower) and dried my hair as fast as I could, transmuting clothes for myself. I checked myself in the mirror after fixing my headband. Something bad was going to happen today, because I didn't dream again. The night crawled by slower last night than any other night.

I walked out of the elevator and was waved over by the woman at the counter. I grinned at her as I approached, greeting, "Well, well, Rebecca. Good morning to you, too. Would you mind making the water hot in the mornings? I would hate to get hypothermia first thing in the morning."

"Shut up, stupid," Rebecca snapped. "I'm still mad at you for getting Ed kidnapped."

"Why does everyone blame me? _I_ didn't ask the bastard…" I think I'd actually start calling the guy "bastard." That was the only name I knew for him. Rebecca brushed the subject away.

"Here, some guy left this for you." She pulled out a small piece of folded up paper. I took it from her hastily. "He brought it in last night. I didn't get a good look at his face, unfortunately, but I could see something around his neck." She fingered at her own neck as if the item was hanging there. "It was a dog tag necklace, like those you see in the army or on wannabe bikers. I didn't see the words on it. But you can look for something like that if you need to."

"Thanks, I owe you." I gripped the paper in my hands. "If I can do anything for you, give me a call, okay? You still have my number, right?"

"Sure I do." She held the hotel's phone up as proof. She reached out as I moved away. Her eyes watered and her face flushed like she was going to cry. "Find him, okay? Find him alive and in one piece. I want to see him again." Her voice cracked. I would have hugged her, but I had to get going. I forgot how close she and Edward were. All I could do was nod as she sniffed and turned away to dab at her eyes.

I exited the hotel quickly and opened up the paper in my hands. It wasn't a good clue. Nine different streets were crossed out with a bright red line running down them. It looked like a checkerboard. I turned it around a few times in case there was some sort of cryptic message and flipped it over to see if the clue was on the other side. It was blank. I studied the checkerboard for a few more minutes before giving up.

"He's fucking with me," I decided. "He thinks this is hilarious. He's trying to screw with me." I crumpled up the clue and shoved it deep in my pocket. If he left it for me with Rebecca, it was probably important enough to keep. I'd hang on to it until this whole jazz show was over, and then I'd shove it down his throat.

My cell phone vibrated and brought me out of my sadistic daydreams. It was Edward's cell phone. I opened it, and with a snarl, said, "Hey, it's me."

"Envy?" My heart nearly jumped right out of my throat. "Envy, are you still there?"

It was Edward.

"Ed! Are you okay?" I immediately felt stupid. Of course he wasn't okay. He was somewhere unfamiliar, probably bruised in every visible spot on his body, and had been raped God knows how many times. "Okay" was the last word to describe his condition.

But despite all that, he replied, "I'm fine."

"Where are you? Is he there? I'm going to get you out of this."

"I know." He sounded weak, and he had to clear his throat multiple times between each break in his sentences. "I can't tell you where I am right now. He's got a gun pointed against my head. If I tell you where we are, he'll kill me right on the spot."

I heard his voice somewhere in the background, but I ignored it, "Ed! Everyone's worried about you on this end. Lois, the old fart's grandkid; even me." I wanted to break down and cry. But I held it together. "Keep yourself alive over there, okay? I'd prefer to see you breathing."

"You too," he said with a quiet laugh.

"Hey, put that bastard on the phone. I want to get this over with as soon as possible." I cracked my knuckles. "I'm gonna sock him in the mouth as many times as he's touched you."

"Eight."

"Huh?"

"Eight times." I bit the inside of my lip to keep myself from blowing up right there and killing a young boy that skipped past me. "I want to see you hit him, okay?" This time his laugh was louder. I could hear the bastard in the back, but I continued to ignore him.

"Yeah, I'll hit him." I wouldn't have been as mad had Edward left me to imagine how many times he had touched my alchemist. But _eight_ times? Oh no, I'd be feeding that dick his liver while I was punching him out. "I'll talk to you as soon as I can, Edward. Keep yourself alive."

"I will, I will," he promised. There was a pause as I heard some mumbling.

"What did you say?" I asked.

"I love you." My heart started pounding again. My breath caught. I was about to get myself into deeper trouble, wasn't I? "I don't expect a reply from you. I think I've learned my lesson."

That stung.

"Gyah! Hey, don't…ow! Let go of me…Ah! That hurts! Let me the fuck go!" I could hear something break and what sounded like a slap. Anger burned in my chest. I almost crushed the phone between my fingers.

"Damn that kid can bite. Ow." Edward's voice was replaced by the other man. "He nearly took off my finger. Oh great, I'm bleeding now." He didn't sound amused. "Your boyfriend's got a set of choppers on him. He almost took off my finger."

"I wish he would have," I said. "That would be an amusing image to walk in on." I could almost imagine the scene: Edward with half a finger between his teeth and the other man curled up, cradling his hand as his missing appendage gushed deep red-purple blood onto the floor.

"So, you have the clue, don't you?" he asked. The smile disappeared from my face. "Didn't the bitch at the counter give it to you? I even went as far as asking her politely to do it."

"Yeah, I have your damn paper." I reached into my pocket and felt at the crumpled ball. "Are you trying to be funny? Your last clue was dumb as shit, but this one is just ridiculous. What kind of trick are you trying to pull?"

"None at all," he replied. "The clue isn't really a clue. It's a game board."

I paused, taking in his words.

"Your sense of humor is really bad, you know that?"

"It's not a Goddamn joke!" I heard a gunshot. My stomach clenched as Edward cried out. I didn't breathe. "Don't worry, I didn't shoot the kid. Came close to it, though. He's got a scratch on his cheek. He looks pretty fuckable right now."

"I really don't like you."

"Aw, I was hoping we could be friends." His voice became nasally as he attempted to sound like a three-year-old. "So, are you ready for an eventful day? This one might take a long time to complete. And if you're lucky, you might get to see me shoot myself in the head."

"Oh boy," I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes. "In all honesty, _I'd_ rather shoot you in the head. Watching you commit suicide isn't the most exciting thing I can think of."

"Are you ready?" he asked. I fell silent. "Here's how to play: the clue is a small game board for tic-tac-toe." He said it slowly to allow the effect of the stupidity to set in. "The stores that are a part of the game have posters on them for Xs and Os. For example, one store has a poster with a giant X on the front. You mark that store with an X and move to the next one. Get the symbols three-in-a-row and you win."

"This is stupid," I snapped. "I'd rather play a whacked-up version of Russian Roulette than do this."

"If you don't do this, your little toy dies."

"I didn't say I wasn't going to do it. And if you touch him anymore, I swear to God, I'm going to kill you."

"Alright. You know, as much as your repetitive threats piss me off, you're pretty fun to play with." I could hear the grin on his face through his voice. "I ought to warn you, though: there's only one symbol that has three in a row. If you choose the wrong symbol, you've already lost. Cheating will only get your boyfriend killed."

"Damn you!" I received a glare from a mom nearby.

"So, which one do you want to choose? X or O?"

I pulled the paper out of my pocket and looked at it intently. I had no idea how the fuck to play this game. He had the streets labeled, but not the stores. If I messed up, he would consider it cheating and kill Edward. I'd have to be careful about how I played this game.

"You choose," I said flatly. He laughed loudly.

"Fine then. See you later, X." He hung up. I then realized that I had just lost the game.

* * *

I absolutely hated this game. I could not find the symbols anywhere. I looked through the stores windows multiple times (one owner actually told me that if I was going to shoplift, to do it and go away), but I couldn't find any of those Xs and Os and Ws. Wait, why did I just say W?

"Ah hell, I'm just going crazy!" I finally sat down on one of the chairs in front of a café. It was on the stupid map. "This has to be the stupidest thing I have ever done. If Ed wasn't in danger of dying, I'd pay this bastard ransom and get him the fuck out of my life. But no, he has to do things the hard way. I'm going to give him a few good punches before shooting him in the head."

"Hell, tiger, it sounds like you're in a bad mood," a waitress said. "You looked like you were going to pass out. Here's a glass of water; it's on the house."

"Thanks." I picked up the glass and threw my head back, chugging all of the water in one go. I sighed. "That helped cool me off." I heard the waitress laugh.

"I'm glad." She took the glass off the table. "You sounded frustrated. Quite a mouth you've got, too." She frowned.

"Sorry." I didn't really let any come emotion into my voice because I didn't really care. I looked at the map again in case there was something I missed. The waitress had gone to take care of her other customers. I crossed my arms and leaned them against the table, examining my surroundings. The game was beginning to kick up a notch, and it was only the Goddamned third day.

Something slapped against my leg. It was barely even there, like one of those annoying hairs that crawls its way into your sleeve after you've brushed it, and it would have taken someone with inhuman senses to feel it. It was a good thing I was a homunculus, or else I would have never felt it. I bent under the table. There was a piece of paper slapped to the underside of it. I pulled it off and turned it over to the other side. On it, painted sloppily in a bright red color, was a big X.

"…Oh, he's totally fucking with me," I said. "He's totally fucking with me. He finds this hilarious, doesn't he?" I pulled out the map and managed to calculate where I was, marking an X on the roof of the café.

I crumpled up the large X poster and threw it away in the nearby garbage can. Then I started going through the other buildings, looking for the other marks in order to end this stupid game of his. I stopped to take a break after I had found all but two of the marks. Searching for these stupid marks had taken a lot of energy, and I had to resume the form of a cat to slink through and look around without raising suspicion from civilians or police officers. I had already bugged one of them; I didn't want to deal with any more of them.

My phone started ringing. I plucked it from my pocket and greeted it. It was that goddamned joker.

"So, how's it going, palm tree?" he asked. I fumed. Yet another damn palm tree joke. He was just asking for me to kill him, wasn't he? "Hel-lo! Are you still there?"

"Unfortunately, I am," I replied. "I'm almost finished. I only have two more to look for." I paused. He didn't reply to what I said. "Where's Edward? I want to speak to him."

"You've already spoken to him," he replied. "He's asleep right now. We just recently fucked."

It took everything I had not to punch the woman that walked by at that moment.

"Why is it you feel obligated to tell me every time you rape my boyfriend?" I asked. "There are some things better left unknown, and I don't particularly enjoy hearing you tell me that you've violated him." My voice dropped low. I could feel the malice from the souls inside my Philosopher's Stone boiling, and I knew my eyes were starting to gleam. "You're just adding fuel to the flame, you prick. When I get you, I will not be merciless."

"Your hissy fits amuse me." The man started laughing again. "How about we finish this game up? I want to get along with the next one. It'll probably be one of your favorites when the time comes for me to die, eh?" I really wanted to hit something. He hung up without a word. As I closed my phone, his laugh rang out in my ears. I didn't like the feeling I was getting from him. Something about this game he was conducting didn't settle right with me.

I folded the paper up neatly and transmuted again into a cat, sprinting off to look through those two stores again. I couldn't track down those last two symbols. They were very persistent to not being spotted. I looked around the dumpster in the back (nearly sacrificing my sense of smell), the windows in the front, and I tried to sneak inside but was brutally beaten out with a broom. After changing into my cute form again, I walked inside. I could hear the man complaining to his wife in the back about how he hated cats trying to sneak into his shop.

"Welcome, sir," he said once he saw me. "Is there anything in particular you're looking for?" I smirked.

"Oh, nothing special, exactly," I replied casually. "I'll just look around a few moments." The man nodded, giving me a look, before returning to the back to complain quietly about customers who loitered. I quickly scanned everything, trying to catch eye of one of those posters. I stopped for a moment to think.

What kind of man would take his time to set this up? How long had he been planning this? And just what did he want with me and Edward? Regardless of unanswered questions, I started looking through the store again with my eyes (if I sifted through everything, I would probably get myself thrown out) and managed to snag a glance of something. It was actually painted on one of the price signs.

A big green O.

I pulled out the crumpled map and marked yet another O, tearing a hole into the paper with my pen. My cell phone started ringing again. I picked it up, recognizing Edward's cell phone number.

"Listen, sicko, I'm not done with your fucking game already…"

"Envy, it's me!" My heart literally stopped for a moment. Edward was speaking in a quiet voice so as not to be caught doing something.

"Ed!" I hissed. I didn't want him to hear me on the other end in case my stupid yelling broke any silence. "What are you doing? I thought I told you not to get killed!"

"I'm not going to die that easily!" he snapped. "Listen! I can tell you where we are." That shut me up faster than the Valentine's Day gag from that damned Roy Mustang. "I don't have much time – I don't know when he's going to get back – but just listen to me!"

"I'm listening!" I said. The man at the counter eyed me. "Quickly!"

"The Rembrandt Hotel on East Street!" he said. "I recognized the room decorations from when we…" He stopped, and there was probably a blush on his cheeks. That was when we first did the deed. "Yeah, we're here!"

"I'm on my way, shorty," I said quickly, affectionately. "Now hang up before he gets back!" I heard him laugh and agree to my demands before the dial tone sounded. However, there was something in the background that I didn't like hearing.

The door in the back had opened.

I ran out of the store as fast as I could, knocking a few things off of the shelves in the process. The Rembrandt Hotel was far from where I was, which was a bad thing on my part, but I also had the route there memorized, which was bad for him. I knew every shortcut to get to the hotel. When I arrived, however, I came to one problem: the hotel was the biggest one in the city, so finding the room Edward was in would be hard to do.

I looked up the side of the building, trying to pinpoint which room they were in. It would have to be a room in which he would be able to see me running around like an ant easily. That took out the first six floors. I saw the curtains in one start moving around violently and heard a low, angry scream. I took that as Edward's battle-cry and charged in. I ran to the stairs but was stopped by security asking if I had a reservation.

"I don't have time for this!" I spat. "Let me through!" I tried to push through them but was shoved in the opposite direction.

"Sorry, sir," one said in a monotonous voice. "No reservation, no passing." A smirk crossed the other's lips. A spark of anger flashed and the next thing I remembered was my hand had taken the form of a metallic, claw-like shape, the tip was covered in blood, and one of the guards was down on the floor, holding his leg desperately. I pushed past the other and ran up the stairs. When I realized how time-consuming it was, I jumped onto the rail and used that. It was quicker than stairs, but I got dizzy halfway and resorted to the stairs.

I could hear desperate footsteps a few floors beneath me and took them as the guards whom I had beaten down earlier. One of them was probably struggling to continue with his friend.

I found the floor I thought they were on and yanked the door off its hinges before I remembered that the door opened the opposite way I had done it. Ignoring the obvious logic, I threw the door down the stairs in an attempt to stall the guards and rushed through the hallways. People passing stared at me in shock as I bounded down the hallways. I found the room I was looking for and kicked the door in. I felt my heart fall straight to the ground floor of the hotel lobby.

The room had been trashed: wallpaper was falling off every other wall, the dresser had a bullet hole in it (probably from the call earlier this morning), furniture was broken and cracked in different places, and blood stained the floors and sheets of the bed. I cursed as loud as my lungs would let me and punched straight through the wall. After ripping it from the wood, I walked further into the room, looking around for any signs that they were here. Other than the bullet hole that was screaming out at me, there was nothing else that proved my lover and his kidnapper were here. I bent down near the foot of the bed and swiped my hand in the blood. Unfortunately, the copper-smelling liquid came off on my fingers.

I brought my fingers up and sniffed. I didn't recognize the smell. I looked around the room, desperately now as I heard footsteps reach the floor I was on. I bent down and looked underneath the bed. There was a white glove there. I yanked it out. The fabric was the same used in Edward's gloves. I shoved it in my pocket and rushed to the window as the guards finally caught up to me. I transmuted into a bird and took flight. The guards were in awe as I landed and headed into an alley to turn back human. Edward was probably dead, and it would have been my fault for not saving him in time.

My cell phone began to vibrate. I pulled it out and said, "Hello?"

"I should have known better," came the voice angrily. He didn't sound as if he would be gentle about doing anything. "So, how should I punish him? He's ruining the game for me." I clenched my fists.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked, trying my best to ignore the struggled moans coming from the background. "Why did you come into our lives and do this?" There was a silence from him as Edward's moans gained volume.

"I was bored," he replied simply. "There's no grudge or anything of the sort behind this, if that's what you think. Life was boring me, so I decided to make the world my game board! Of course, I needed some players." His voice became sinister as Edward gasped.

"What makes you think you're going to get away with this?" I asked. "Did you think you'd get out of playing this load of bullshit without getting killed!" It took every fiber of my body not to kill someone right there and then when I heard Edward scream.

"I don't plan on getting out alive." The calm of his voice shocked me. I didn't expect such a lax mood in his answering. "I plan on dying at the very end. I've spent all my life beating others at games, and I just wanted a good opponent for my last game." He laughed as I heard another moan, clenching the fist by my side. "When I heard that blond chick complaining about someone named 'Ed' with a homunculus as a bed partner…why, I couldn't give up the temptation to play with a homunculus!" He started laughing again. My stomach clenched.

"Stop talking through your ass," I snapped. Everything became silent on his end. "Listen to me, you sicko. When I find you, I won't be merciless in ripping out your spine and beating you in the head with it. I'm not cute when I'm angry, but if that's what I need to be to make sure your head's smashed deep into the pavement, I'll do it." He laughed.

"What's so funny!"

"Oh, nothing," he snickered. "You finally came up with a new threat!" He hung up. I would have smashed the phone in my hand if it wasn't my only connection with the man. Then something in my head clicked. A blond chick talking about Edward… There was only one blond chick that we both knew that hated me.

Despite the little voice in the back of my head telling me that I would need to call an Undertaker, I dialed the phone number and listened to it ring before I heard the greeting, "Rockbell Auto-Mail Shop. How can I help you?"


	4. Let's End This

**I fail at fight scenes…**

I walked into the coffee shop, not surprised to find Winry sitting near the back with a deadly aura radiating from her. I had half a mind to turn right around and leave before she saw me, but I knew better than to do that. She would get mad if I made a date with her and then canceled based on the fact that I simply didn't feel like being hit in the head with a heavy wrench. She spotted me after taking a sip of her coffee and waved me over. Praying to God that I wasn't going to get the living shit beaten out of me, I walked over to the table and sat down across from her. I couldn't tell if she was going to yell at me or start bawling.

"Envy…," she started, not looking up from the table. I took a deep breath and braced myself for what was to come. "I only agreed with you being with Edward simply based on the fact that I thought you could keep him safe. But now…" She looked up at me and glared. "I hate you even more."

" 'I'm sorry I couldn't protect him.'" She gave me a look. "Is that what you want me to say? I'm not going to apologize to anyone but Edward. I owe him that, at least."

"Well then, why did you call me out here?" she demanded, looking back down. I leaned back in my chair, raising it up onto the back legs. "I have lots of customers back in Risembool, and I plan on getting back to them." She crossed her legs.

"I wanted to ask you something," I said quickly. "You were in here a few days ago complaining about me, right?" She nodded.

"I met Scheska here one morning, and we started talking. She asked how you two were doing, and I started bitching…" She laughed nervously to herself. "I told her that you were just a dirty, perverted homunculus with no actual feelings, and you were a lecherous prick." She laughed, and I sunk lower in my seat. That was a nice stroke to the ego there.

"I see. But, did you notice anyone paying particularly close attention to your and Scheska's conversation?" I asked. She narrowed her eyes as she thought. After a few minutes of scrutinizing her memory, she shook her head.

"No, I can't remember anyone seriously listening into our conversation. Why do you ask?" she added when I cursed under my breath harshly.

"The guy who kidnapped Ed mentioned a blonde chick complaining about him and me, and I immediately had to think of you," I admitted. She frowned at me, which didn't usually mean a good thing. Her frowns (and glares) sometimes meant that she was about to whip out that evil wrench of hers and beat someone senseless. "What? Do you expect me to lie and say 'oh, it's nothing?' Well, I'm not going to lie to you." I stood up from my place at the table.

"Thanks for meeting me," I said. "It wasn't much help, unfortunately." She gave me a look.

"Do you know what's going on?" she asked. "I mean, with the guy? Do you know him?"

"Not at all, except for the 'nice' conversations we have over the phone." I grimaced. "He's…well, if I was a friend of his, I'd shoot him between the eyes; let's just put it that way." Winry cocked her brow at me. I just shook my head, a way of telling her that she probably wouldn't understand.

"Alright, well, I have to get going," I said, drumming my fingernails against the back of the chair. "Thanks again for meeting me, Winry. Once I get Ed back, I'll give you a call." She stood as well, half-finished coffee cup left on the table. She nodded towards me.

"Please find him, Envy, okay?" she asked. Everyone had become so repetitive these days. "Al's been staying with me, and he's worried that his brother hasn't said anything to him lately. Should I tell him that his brother's gone…you know, missing?"

"No, because he hasn't gone missing." I turned to leave. "Just tell him that Ed's been taken away, and I'm trying to find him as quickly as I can. Don't lie to that marshmallow, because then he'll start crying and bawling and come to me." She gave me a harsh glare. "I have to go. I'll get a call from that bastard anytime soon, and I don't want to be held up."

"Okay." Winry waved me off before pulling her coat on and walking out. She didn't give me a second glance. I frowned and walked out of the shop, slightly miffed. My phone started vibrating in my pocket and I pulled it out, greeting cautiously.

"Hey there, sexy," I heard him purr. A disgusted shiver climbed my spine. "Man, I'm still feeling the adrenaline. Have you ever heard your boy screaming in pure ecstasy? That has to be the sexiest thing I have ever heard. You should try pulling his hair while you're fucking him…"

"Shut up…" I had walked out of the coffee shop and ducked into an alley so that he wouldn't be able to see me from where he was. "Don't you dare tell me anything more…"

"But don't you want to hear it? Maybe I can wake him up and start up again." I dropped my phone and clamped my hands over my ears. There was no way in hell I was going to listen to that. I closed my eyes and tried to calm myself down. He was poking at my weaker, more violent points. I waited for a few moments before sighing and picking the phone up. "Seems like someone's in a bad mood today."

"I'm always in a bad mood when you call me," I spat. "Just what the hell do you want now?" He started laughing.

"It's another game, my dear homunculus." I clenched my fists. How long was he going to run around with me and do this? "So, how about we start this game, shall we?" I clenched my fists, digging my nails into my palms so hard that I thought I would break skin.

"How long do you plan on toying with me?" I asked, my voice shaking from anger. "I'm sick and tired of your little games. If you don't end this quickly, I'll just track you down and kill you on the spot as soon as I see you."

"How long do I plan…" He started laughing again, and it was _really_ pissing me off. "I'm bored. When I feel like ending the game, I will." The cell phone in my hand was almost crushed.

"Then get the fuck on with it." I ground my teeth together.

"Alright, then!" he cheered. "Here's what you're gonna do…"

**(Edward's P.O.V)**

The man in front of me hung up on Envy. I could feel him looking over at me, but I remained calm, struggling not to spazz out. I heard him mutter, "So the kid's still asleep…," and turn away. I let out a quiet, relieved sigh. I opened my eyes, staring at the wall in front of me, thinking about how this was affecting everyone. Al and Winry were probably worried out of their minds; Al was probably crying.

And Envy… I hated this man so much. If my hands weren't tied behind my back…

My thoughts went right back to Envy, my cheek stinging when they did. I know he hadn't meant to hit me, but I was just too shocked to think clearly. And… it sort of _was_ my fault for telling him that I was going to leave him. When I came home, I wasn't expecting to have some random guy kick the door in behind me, throw me to the ground, and end up in a fist-fight to the death. The last thing I remember was being hit in the head by something hard and metallic, and when I woke up, my shirt had been stolen, and I was tied up.

"Hey," I said, hearing the man jump. I managed to sit up and face him. He looked at me in surprise. "Why'd you choose me?" He gave me a bemused look. "I mean, why're you doing this? Can't you just play some whacked-up version of Monopoly with the stock market and get a life?"

"Funny," he snapped, crossing his arms and legs. "I don't particularly _like_ Monopoly. I like games that are more fun." He smirked. I narrowed my eyes, glaring hard at him. He sighed and leaned forward, pushing his hands against his knees. "Watching your boyfriend run around like a desperate ant is entertaining. If I gave that chance up, what more would there be for me to see in life?"

I blew a lock of hair out of my face, saying, "Why'd you choose us? I don't understand why you have to take me as a fucking hostage. When Envy finds you, he's going to kill you." I knew that making the threat was useless, but there was nothing for me to say. If I tried to bluff anything, that would get his dick shoved up my ass. The man laughed either way.

"Well, for one thing, when it comes to the last game, your fuck-buddy isn't going to die," he said. "The last game puts _both_ our lives in danger!" He started cackling, and I could literally feel myself paling at that last remark.

"Why the hell are you doing this!" I demanded, pulling against the restraints around my hands. My busted auto-mail groaned against it, trying to tell me to stop moving or else it will break. I ignored it and struggled. "We haven't done anything to you! We didn't rape your sister or kick your puppy! Let me go!" The man grinned and stood up, pushing me against the wall, scraping my shoulder against the eroding concrete. He forced his mouth to mine, slipping his tongue past my lips. I clenched my teeth together in order to stop him from intruding any more than he already has. He pulled away, taking my chin in his hands roughly, squeezing to the point where it hurt.

"You want to know why I'm doing this?" he demanded huskily, hand tracing over my chest. "It's because I've been bored all of my life. Board games aren't entertaining me anymore. So, I decided to create my own game, in which the winner lives, and the loser loses something important to him." He kissed me again, slipping his tongue past my lips before I could register what he was doing. I whimpered and flailed to the best of my abilities, trying to escape.

"S-So what are you doing with _me_?" I managed to ask as he moved his lips to my neck, biting me hard enough to draw blood. I flinched as his teeth dug past my flesh. He chuckled, his tongue sliding up slowly to my ear.

"If Envy loses, he _sacrifices you_," he whispered. My eyes widened when I had finally taken in the severity of the game we were involved in. I couldn't register anything else, not even when he had begun to travel lower, hitting more pleasure points.

**(Envy's P.O.V.)**

I stared at the phone in my hands. He was seriously fucking with me. He couldn't have been serious. There was no way in hell what he said to me was true. I felt myself shaking, and I leaned myself against the side of the closest building.

"_You have six hours to find out where I am and save your little boyfriend…_," he had said, "_…or I press _detonate_ on this lovely little remote of mine, and blondie here goes _'_boom._'" He laughed and hung up. I felt my stomach curl. This wasn't happening. This seriously wasn't. But it was. Even I couldn't lie to myself about something like this.

"Seems like you _really_ need our help now, Envy," a cold voice said from behind me. I clenched my fists. "The police are now aware of the threat. It seems he called it in before he called you." I heard Lust laugh from behind me, but I refused to look back at her.

"Shut up," I spat. Her laugh stopped. I could feel her glaring at me. "I can do this on my own. I don't need your help, I don't need Pride's help, and I don't need that bastard's help either." I had been around Edward too much to start referring to my own father as "that bastard."

"That 'bastard' gave you your life, Envy, and he can damn well take it back," she snarled. I turned on her, transmuting, grabbing her throat as her eyes widened. My charcoal-black eyes narrowed at her, and a smirk pulled my lips up. She gripped at my hand, trying to pry it from around her neck.

"If he wants to take it back, tell him I'll come to him," I said sharply, my voice low in baritone. She glared at me, though fear shone in her eyes clearly. "I know how to use his alchemy; he explained everything to me when he saw me chop off your head in our last fight." I smirked as she gagged and struggled for air. I released her, transmuting back into my own form. She fell to the ground, unable to catch herself on her feet, and held her throat as she coughed. I looked down at her.

"I'll make sure you don't live to see that gay rat you call a lover!" she growled. I waved, letting her know that I wasn't planning on returning any time soon. I walked down the streets, trying to think of how I was going to do this. I had no clue this time, nothing to work on from here. I had six hours to find Edward, or else I'd lose the most important person to me.

As I continued to wallow in the pity of my situation, my mind kept returning to the homunculi and my Father I'd left behind. I began to think about Lust's offer. If I really did bow to him, would he be wiling to help me? I shook the thought out of my head. Was I really going to be as weak as to go crawling back to the demon that created me? I was desperate to get my Edward back, but I wasn't as pathetic as that.

A woman near me screamed. I blinked as I felt something on my chest and looked down. Something thin and black was poking out of my chest. The pain didn't register until then, when it was sloppily pulled out of my chest. I flinched and looked behind me. Lust licked at her nail. My wound healed, but it cost a soul to do it.

"I've just been given the orders to kill you," she purred. I transmuted my own arm.

"Well then, this ought to be fun for both of us," I said back with a grin, crouching, waiting for her to strike first. The fatty appeared beside her, his mouth wide open, and drool slopped messily onto the sidewalk. We were probably a strange-looking crowd, me with my arm turned into a blade, Lust with her long nails, and Gluttony… Gluttony's a freak-show altogether, so I could see why most of the people who were staring at us were looking his way.

"Why don't you be a man, Envy, and attack us first?" Lust said, a smirk pulling at her lips.

"Very well!" I rushed up to her, meeting Gluttony's big mouth halfway. His teeth clamped down on the metal of my arm, flinging me around like a chew toy. I transmuted it into a spiked ball, piercing every point of his mouth that I could. He released me, blood gushing from his open lips, as Lust jumped out from behind him, reaching her talons out for me. I blocked her attack, barely unscathed, and lashed out. I managed to puncture her middle, and I tore my arm out sideways, splitting her middle on one side. She cried out and gripped it as Gluttony leaned forward and bit down on the metal of my hand again.

I struggled to get my hand free when my past attempt didn't work, and Lust managed to slice clean through my arm, ridding me of the appendage. I pulled away as it reformed, gripping it. She smirked and lengthened her nails again. I spat towards her, switching into the form of the Colonel. She glared at me as I snapped my fingers, and her arm exploded. I looked down at my hand.

"This alchemy is surprisingly convenient," I said with surprise. She growled at me. "Goddamit, I don't have time for this!" I transmuted back to myself and stalked away. Lust's nail shot straight through my leg, halting any movement. I turned back at her with a glare. "Stop this, Lust." I grabbed her nail, snapping it as she cried out at me, and pulled my leg from her. "I can't stay here and fight you. I have something I have to do right now."

"Get back here," she demanded, pulling herself to her feet. I turned around and stared her down. "I have orders to kill you, and I'm going to follow them."

"No you're not," I said. "You're going to crawl back to that bastard and tell him that I've quit, and I don't want his help, your help, or help from anyone else. I suggest you take your ass around the other way, and disappear before I severely drop your soul count." She lengthened her nails again, but I managed to catch two as one dug deep into my shoulder. I tensed up as she ripped it out again. I broke off the two nails in my hand.

She gripped her hand and started towards me with Gluttony chasing close after her. I turned and pounced into the street, hoping the large truck passing by would block their vision as I ducked into another alleyway. My shoulder healed, and the pain faded away, but I wouldn't be able to run from them forever. I pulled out my phone to check the time. I had until ten o'clock tonight to find Edward and save him, but that might be almost impossible with the other homunculi crawling up my back.


	5. Put Them in Place

I raced through the zigzagging alleys of the city, hearing Lust's high heels and Gluttony's fat feet coming after me. I'd have to lose them somehow, but knowing Gluttony's sense of smell, I'd just be stalling my demise. I nearly avoided running into a wall and cut a sharp corner. I burst into a crowd, getting strange looks as I panted and looked around desperately for an escape. There weren't many places I could go to get away from my "family." I could hear them getting closer and, in an act of near-insanity, dashed straight across the street, nearly being hit by an oncoming car. I was honked at, but I ignored them as I plowed straight through the crowd. I was cursed at and yelled at, and I received a few death threats, but I continued to run.

"Dammit, dammit, dammit!" I cried as I danced through them, trying to get myself free. I had wasted too much time trying to get away from the other homunculi. If I didn't lose them soon, I'd either be killed or lose Edward forever. I shook the depressing thoughts from my head, trying to clear it. I'd have to calm down and think strategically about this. I managed to get through the worst of the crowd, but by then I had lost track of the other homunculi. I took it as a good sign and started running again, stopping once I reached an electronics store that had a million and two people standing in front of it. After struggling to get through the brick-stacked crowed to see what the hub-bub was about, I finally turned into a dog and squeezed between people's legs, looking up at the screen. A newscaster was talking about the "new and coming" news about a bomb threat and a hostage situation.

Then I remembered Lust's announcement about the man phoning in his game to the police before informing me of such a dangerous task, and listened intently. The anchorman was talking about the police pinpointing his position currently and that they were currently looking for anyone with information. I gave a second of thought towards giving them the information about my and Edward's situation, but I decided against it. In this situation, there wasn't much to depend on them for.

I squeezed out of the group of people and took off to look through the city, transforming back to my chosen form. I couldn't sense Lust or Gluttony, so I guessed that I was safe for the time being. But if Pride appeared, I'd be screwed.

I stopped for a moment to catch my breath, panting as I looked through the crowd to see if I could find someone familiar or if I could tell where that infernal man was. I searched, but there didn't seem to be any clue as to where he was. Even the police were looking desperately for him. Men were interviewing bystanders in case they saw something or heard something, but they wouldn't get far.

"Actually, I saw something weird last night," I overheard one woman saying. I stopped, looking over towards her. She and the policemen interviewing her didn't seem to notice me standing nearby. I tuned everything but their conversation out. "I was out walking in the downtown area to get to my apartment – I'm a college student, and it's quicker to get to the dorms that way – and I heard some fighting from behind one of those prostitution casinos. I thought someone was in trouble and went to help them. I saw a man and a teenager fighting; he was trying to get the teenager into a busted old car."

"And, what did the teenager look like, miss?" one officer with a notebook and pen asked. She scrunched her brow together like she was thinking. I tapped my foot impatiently.

"He…he was really short," she started, and I snorted, turning away when one of the officers eyed me. "And, he had blonde hair and was shirtless… One of his arms was one of those auto-mail prosthetics." I whipped around.

"Where did you see them!" I demanded, forgetting entirely that I was jumping into a conversation I wasn't supposed to be involved in. The girl looked at me. "Where did you see the two of them?" She recoiled from me. One policeman put a hand on my shoulder.

"Son, this is none of your business…," he started, but I shrugged him off.

"It's damn well my business!" I turned back to the girl. "Where did you see them? The short one, I know him!" The men exchanged looks. The girl fought with her memory.

"I…I don't know where I saw them," she admitted sheepishly, and I knew I had a defeated look on my face. "There are ten of those casinos around that place; it could have been any of them. I'm really, really sorry!" She took my hands with hers. "Please forgive me!" I hated it when women begged and cried. (Unless I was taking their life, of course.) I pulled my hands from hers.

"Don't cry; I'm not mad at you." Well, I wasn't actually mad, more like disappointed. "Thanks for the info, though." I turned around and ran down the sidewalk, moving through the crowd as quickly as I could. People shouted at me as I pushed them out of the way and broke people holding hands, but the crowds slowly dissipated as I came to the slums.

The slums were the nasty side of the city where people who couldn't get a job or refused to get one lived. The chances someone would be murdered here were higher than that of being robbed at a bank. Rats and mice slept just about anywhere, and I never made it through here without someone begging me for money or demanding I give it to them. It wasn't gorgeous, and it definitely wasn't one of the healthiest places to live.

I glanced over my shoulder when I heard a footstep. Someone was walking towards me, and by the ripped up shoes he was wearing, I guessed that it was one of the worthless hobos that lived around here. I continued on, ignoring him. I heard another pair of footsteps, this time on my left. Out of my peripheral vision, I could make out baggy clothes and something small and shiny. I was either going to be a victim of gang rape or a mugging.

"Hey, you!" I heard the one behind me call. "Spare some change for a poor man?" His footsteps quickened in pace. I shoved my hands in my pockets and ignored him to the best of my abilities, but he wouldn't give up. "Please, sir, I have two kids with me. I lost my job a month ago and my house right after that. Just spare some pocket change for a poor man…"

"Buzz off," I growled, pushing him off of my shoulder. "I have somewhere to be, and I can't waste time on men who can't pay for themselves." He persisted, begging me and crying. The man from my left moved closer.

"Please. I won't beg from anyone anymore! I promise!"

"Get the fuck out of my way!" I snapped. "I don't have time to be messing around with you!" I pushed him away. The man reached into his coat and pulled out a gun, pointing it right at my head. I could feel the other man pulling in closer.

"Oh, you think you're cute?" I said. "Go ahead; shoot me. You'll be the one in trouble, though." His hand shook, and he breathed in shakily. I sighed. "You can't do it. You don't have the guts…" I was cut off by a bullet that went straight between my eyes. My body went dead for a moment, and I lost my balance, regaining by stepping forward. I reached up and plucked the bullet from my head. The man looked at me in shock, and my other pursuer had frozen.

"Goddammit, everyone's out to get me." I dropped the bullet and lashed out, taking the gun from the man's hand. It was a simple revolver that looked like one of those water squirt guns anyone could get at a kid's toy store. I grabbed his collar and hoisted him from the ground. I spotted a black suit as his trench coat opened. "Well well, mug a classy rich man, did we? Those are some awfully nice clothes for someone who's been homeless for a month."

He flailed and kicked, but they were weak.

"Who set you up to it?" I asked. He glared down at me.

"N-no one!" he said, gurgling when I tightened my grip on his throat. My other friend had come closer, pointing his gun at the very back of my head. I turned towards him, my eyes narrowed casually, brow cocked.

"Who's paying you to do this?" I asked. "Obviously, if you weren't being paid, you would have high-tailed it by now." The man held his gun up without a word, murder flashing in his eyes.

"You don't need to know his name," he told me.

"Well, sure I do. I want to greet him properly when I find him." I dropped the other man, whose face had already turned blue, and his body had started convulsing. I grabbed the barrel of the man's gun. He flinched away. I tilted my head and placed the gun against my neck. "Do it! Blast my head right off my shoulders." I grinned sadistically. He didn't falter. He pulled the trigger. I healed either way, but it hurt like a bitch.

"We've been ordered to kill you," he informed me as I rubbed my neck. "As many times as it takes, we're going to get this job done." I spat blood out onto the street. Without a word, I transmuted my arm into another blade and snapped his head off. The neck gushed blood as his body fell onto the street. I turned back to my first assailant. He had fallen to the ground and was backing away from me. I stalked over to him. He became hysteric.

"I-I don't know where he is!" he cried, shielding his face from me, trying to make himself disappear. "Please don't hurt me! Please, don't hurt me!" He began blubbering, and I immediately lost the lust to kill him. Instead, I turned my hand back to normal and lifted him to his knees by his collar. He whimpered.

"Tell me, who is he, and why did he butt into my life?" I demanded. The man looked a mess as he began to hiccup and stop his crying.

"I-I don't know him personally," he started carefully, "but he gave me a picture of two guys and told me to kill you when I saw you." He managed to pull a picture from his pocket and hold it up. I snatched it out of his fingers, eyeing it carefully. It was one Alphonse took of us when I wasn't ready. Edward was in the back grinning like a fool while I looked stupidly at the camera, ready to answer the question that Alphonse had used to bait me.

I shoved it into my pocket. "Where did you meet him?" I asked. The man had started blubbering again, and I couldn't get anymore answers from him. I dropped him on his ass to leave him to wallow in his self-pity. I walked through the slums without much trouble, searching through the casinos for any hints. Unfortunately, I didn't find much to work with. But I managed to find Edward's torn shirt.

"This isn't much," I said, holding the fabric in my hands and looking around the room. I stood and knocked my head against one of the tacky Japanese lanterns hanging from the ceiling. I grabbed it and yanked it down.

Clunk

I stopped. Material as soft as that wouldn't make a noise like "clunk" when it hits the ground. I picked up the lantern and shook it. Something hit against my knuckles. I sliced the cloth open and pulled out a small box. It was like a jewelry box or a music box, something a girl would have sitting on her dresser. I sat down on the bed and opened it.

Puzzle pieces were scattered everywhere. They were small, and there were thousands of them. I picked one up and examined it before pulling out another. There was something on the back. A small line that went across it at a strange angle. I dropped it back into the box. I picked up another piece; on the back was a line that curved sharply. Finally, it clicked.

"This man is a maniac!" I exclaimed to myself. Ignoring the small feeling that I was looking like a three-year-old, I turned the box over and dumped the pieces out. I turned them over so that the cardboard back was turned upwards and began to piece them together. I put the border together first, and confirmed my suspicion. There was writing on the back of the puzzle. I felt like slapping myself, but I continued to piece them together. I put them together one-by-one without stopping, mentally figuring out where each went. After half an hour, I had the entire thing finished.

648 Shiloh Avenue

Largo Building, Room 25

"The Largo Building?" I asked myself, staring at the address in front of me. I had no idea where it was. I hadn't even heard of it! I memorized the address before kicking the puzzle to pieces and walking right back out of the room. The woman at the desk swore at me when she saw me walk by, but I didn't pay her any mind. As I exited, I noticed that the sun was starting to set and that it was becoming dark. I pulled my phone out and checked the time. I had wasted two hours walking around, and it was just past six. My phone started vibrating, and I answered.

"Hello?" I said.

"You have four hours!" I heard him say giddily. "You better hurry up. Your boyfriend's getting antsy over here. He's already kicked me twice." I laughed aloud.

"I hope it hurt," I snarled. "You hired to kill me?" I heard a sigh.

"They spilled the beans. Ah well. I wanted to make the game more interesting, and stall you for a little while. You don't mind that, do you?" I dug my nails into the wall of the building beside me, a growl coming from my chest. "I guess you don't. Well, it's too late now. I can't call them off."

"You are going to pay for all of this," I threatened. This time, I hade more energy and promise in my threats. I knew where he was now, and I would be able to carry out every one of my promises. Either way, he thought it was funny and laughed.

"Alright, if you say so!" he sang childishly. "Would you like to speak to your boyfriend? He's awake and glaring at me right now. Of course, it'll dock off some of your time." I didn't care.

"Put him on."

"Very well, Envy." I heard background noise, Edward's loud cursing, and finally silence. I stopped breathing for a minute.

"Envy." I sighed heavily, letting out the breath I had been holding in. Edward sounded exhausted.

"Thank God you're still alive," I said, placing a hand on my chest. I heard him laugh weakly. "Are you okay? You sound like you've been beaten around."

"I have," he admitted. "He keeps pulling my hair. You better have something gruesome planned for him." I could hear the grudge in his voice. "Hey, Envy…" His voice trailed off. I barely heard him.

"Yeah? Ed, I'm here."

"…I want to apologize to you," he said. I would have stopped him, but my heart was pounding in my throat, making it impossible for me to speak. "I'm sorry for what I said back at home. I wouldn't have left you." His voice sounded like it was about to crack. I clenched my fists.

"Don't worry about it," I managed to say. "Save your breath. If you want to apologize, wait for a minute, and I'll be there. You can say it to me in person."

"Sure, Envy." It seemed to cheer him up. "I just wanted to say that in case you couldn't find us." It sounded to me as if he knew that I had gotten the clue. "He's making me get off now. I'll see you when you get here."

"Yeah, see you, shorty."

"I'm not a Goddamn shorty!"

I was so relieved I could cry. The fact that he was able to yell at me was good enough proof that he was fine. I heard him yelling at me in the background as the phone was taken from him, and the bastard began to speak.

"You have four hours and fifty minutes. Don't be late for the fireworks." He hung up. I smirked. My foot was about to be shoved so far up his ass that he'd be choking up leather until he croaked.


	6. I Will Kill You

**Drug market, Sub market. Sometimes I wonder why I ever got in~  
Sorry, I've been in a Repo! craze lately.**

It took me forever to learn where that stupid Largo building was. I learned from a large group of drama-nerds that it was an old opera house that used to be very prosperous in the 1800s but then turned into a whore-house when the actors staying there began to put-out. Because of the scandals, Largo had lost money, and the building had been closed a few decades ago. A construction company had planned to knock it down to make room for a three-story boutique, but they went bankrupt before they had the chance. Now, Largo was known as a historical monument because the stage was still intact, so no one was allowed to destroy it.

"They give private tours on the weekends!" one had told me. "You should book one if you're interested." I said my thanks as I was walking away before they began to preach to me about the wonders of Shakespeare. Of course, I didn't leave until one of them gave me a map on how to get to the Largo Building from where I was.

The building was about forty-five minutes to an hour away. That would waste even more of my time. I ignored the voice in the back of my head that told me to just hot-wire a car and transmuted to a cat, running as fast as I could without wasting any more souls in resurrecting myself.

My attention was pulled away from where I was going by five police cruisers speeding by me. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that they had found out where he was and were headed out to get him. I sprinted after the cars, trying not to run into anything or anybody and having close calls with telephone poles.

The scenery began to change as I followed the police cars, and they turned into the deeper part of the slums, where dead bodies were a dime a dozen. Gang bosses and drug dealers peeked out of their hiding places, ready for a fight with the police if one would show up to stop them. I could almost see the surprise on their faces as the police sped right past them and on towards the worst part of town. The police arrived on the scene where they had blocked off the building from the public and press. I transmuted back into my original form as the police stepped out. A helicopter hovered overhead, searchlight roaming over the side of the building in search of that damn bastard. I felt a hand pushing me away.

"Sorry sir, but you can't enter here," a police chief informed me, trying to push me back. I used my full force to fight against him, which wasn't all that hard to do since he was a human. "You'll…You'll have to leave. I have strict orders not to let civilians enter here…"

"Good thing I'm not a civilian," I retorted, pushing him away easily. He grabbed my shoulder, making me turn on him. "What?" He recoiled after I snapped at him.

"I can't let you in there. If I need to arrest you, I will, but I'm not letting you…" He finally stopped speaking when I turned away from him and pulled out my cell phone as it vibrated. I recognized Edward's number and answered it right away, covering my free ear from the sirens and murmurs of the crowd. The very first thing I heard was his laughter.

"So you finally made it, did you, Envy-boy?" he asked me. "It's like hell out there, huh? I'd hate to be in that crowd with you. Where are you anyways?" I looked up at the building, squinting my eyes slightly to sharpen my view. I couldn't see anything through the tinted windows.

"I'm in the crowd, dumbass," I snapped back. "The idiot officers won't let me pass because I don't have a badge." I walked away from the officer advancing on me, feeling something small and heavy hit my leg. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the small handgun that I had snatched days ago. I had forgotten that I had it with me. Quickly, I stashed it into my pocket.

"What? Nah, they aren't really doing that, are they?" To my surprise, he actually sounded pissed off and disappointed. "Damn, that's going to cut into the time and make things explode when they shouldn't…" He paused, and so did I. The policeman was practically breathing down my neck.

"I know!" he finally said. I heard a small beep in the background. "I'll give you a small freebie, simply because I don't want to cut into the game time. I'll stop the timer for ten minutes. You have that long to either run into the building or convince the bastards to let you in. When the ten minutes is up, I'll start the timer again."

"That's weird of you," I said after a small silence. "There's got to be a catch."

"There's no catch, Envy dear," he purred. A disgusted shiver went down my spine. "I just want this game to be fun. I didn't think the police would actually interfere as they did. Remember: ten minutes. After that, you have only an hour and a few minutes to find your precious boyfriend. Later, 'gator." He hung up.

"Goddamn him!" I cried, making a few people look over in my direction. I shoved my phone in my pocket and turned around, nearly running into the officer behind me. "Shit! A little personal space, please?" He gave me what was supposed to be a harsh look. I would have laughed at his clown face, but pissing him off might put me in jail. I could always break out, of course, but I didn't want to end up there anyways.

"Who was that?" he asked. He was actually saying, "How do you know this man?" I smirked and crossed my arms, shifting my weight to one side.

"Why should I tell you?" I asked. "It's my personal business." He gripped the radio in his hand, glaring at me.

"If it's that man up there, I can have you arrested for aiding and abiding a criminal…" He reached down to his belt and pulled out a pair of handcuffs. I rolled my eyes.

"Try it. I'll just break them off anyways." I turned away from him and began to walk away. "Now, let's see…entrance, entrance…" I sighed heavily, looking around the front of the building. Either way they were going to look at it, I wasn't going to listen to them. They could waste as many of my souls as they wanted to, but I wasn't going to just let Edward die. I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Do you know him?" I turned around, looking at the chief with a blank look.

"Sort of," I admitted. "He's been running me around for the last week." I turned back around, stopping only when the chief followed me. I turned back towards him. "Will you just leave me the fuck alone? I'm trying to find a close friend of mine, and he stopped the bomb for now…"

Instantly, I regretted giving him that information.

"How do you know that? When did he tell you that?" he asked me desperately. I jumped away from him. He looked as if he was going to open his mouth and eat me like something out of a bad alien movie.

"Just now," I said. "He's stopped it until you'll let me in."

"Why you, specifically?"

"He was just bored," I said with a shrug, "and decided he needed an inhuman game partner."

* * *

I didn't think they'd believe me, but I was in a hurry to get out of there. They looked at me as if I had officially kicked the sanity-bucket. I growled when they began whispering to each other and stood up, saying, "Alright, I'm going in without you guys. Catch up if you feel the need." One man lashed out, and I nearly sliced his head off.

"You expect us to believe that your friend was kidnapped and that you were forced to play a game with this man to make sure he doesn't kill him?" the first officer asked. I nodded.

"That's what this whole bomb-threat was about. He's using that damn threat to stall me. Now that the ten minutes are up, I have less than an hour to get my way through there before he kills Edward." I narrowed my eyes dangerously at them. "Feel free to intervene all you want, but you're not stopping me."

"You're not going anywhere until you've answered all of our questions!"

"Make me." The officer pulled out his gun and pressed it against my throat. I laughed. "Go ahead. It's not like you'll be the first person to blow my head off. Edward's done it more times than anyone." I frowned as he pushed it harder against my neck, not bothering to pull the trigger. "You're abusing your power."

"Tell us what you know, dammit! You're not getting out of here just yet." I smirked and grabbed his hand, pulling the trigger myself. I stumbled back as people screamed, and the officers all froze. I healed back up same as always and rubbed a kink out of my neck. He and the other stared at me in shock as I wiped blood off of my cheek. I had blood stains all over my jacket and skin-tight shirt, and I was damn tired of everything that was going on. I couldn't wait to get back home with Edward in my arms and just fall asleep for the next two days.

"Any more questions, boys?" I asked. The men exchanged looks. I didn't wait for any answer from them. I turned around and walked past the crowd and reporters, jumped the tape, and then dashed across the large lawn and into the building, hearing my feet pound and echo through the hallways. I ran through the hallway and entered the foyer deep inside. Above me was a large diamond chandelier that would have probably reflected beautifully if the lights that were pointed at it worked. The carpet beneath me was rugged and decaying, and spiders crawled around in their webs.

A gunshot was fired above me. I turned to my right and found a flight of stairs. Not even thinking of looking for a directory (there wouldn't have been any around here anyways), I climbed the stairs and came out onto the second floor. I looked at the room closest to me and could barely make out the number. It was room 50, which meant that Edward was probably on this floor. I pulled the gun from my pocket and began to walk slowly through the hallway, eyes scanning everything before me. I had to be wary of anything that would break beneath my foot or if the wooden floor creaked.

I gasped as my foot broke through the floor, and I nearly fell. I caught myself and slid my foot through the hole. I could hear laughter near the end of the hallway, and I recognized it from hearing the same voice so many times. I walked a little quicker towards the rooms, counting down in my head. One room's door had been cracked.

"This is too easy," I said to myself, leaning my back against the wall. I peeked in, trying to make out something in the darkness of the room. I could barely make out two bodies silhouetted against the moonlit window. I turned around and kicked the door off its hinges. It landed just in front of the bed that rested beneath the window with a scream. I could make out the bodies better than from outside.

"Edward!" I cried, seeing my lovely blonde tied and blindfolded. He perked up at my voice.

"Envy?" he asked. His voice sounded weak.

An arm was wrapped around his neck, and a gun was pointed at his head. The man holding it looked up at me. I couldn't make out any facial features except for a wild grin.

"You…" I held my gun up and pointed right for his head, but the weapon at Edward's side pushed deeper into his dirty, auric hair, and I let my weapon drop slightly.

"So nice to meet you in person, Envy," I heard him say. "There should be a light switch behind you. Somehow, the generator in this building still works. Would you mind giving us a little light?" I pulled my weapon back up. So did he.

"How do I know the switch isn't a trigger to something?" I challenged, closing one eye to better my aim.

"I promise you that nothing will happen when you turn the light on. In fact, I have the bomb set up right here." He kicked something off the bed. A timer on it read 00:06:43 in bright red neon lights. "You just barely made it. Five more minutes, and I would have had to have given up on you. Blondie here didn't doubt you for a second, did you, Edward?" He bent down and kissed Edward's neck, and I saw him try and dodge the movement.

"Stop what you're doing before I kill you!" I shrieked, holding my weapon back up. He smirked and pointed the gun right where he had kissed Edward. He looked up at me. I couldn't make out anything more than a sadistic smile.

"Turn on the light, and let's play our final game," he said invitingly. I didn't take my eyes off them as I backed away slowly. I looked away for half a second to search for the switch before turning it on. The light overhead blinked on and hummed. I looked in front of me.

Edward had bruises and cuts all over his chest, arm, neck, and face. His hair had been let out, his lips looked swollen, and his teeth were ground together. He didn't struggle to get free from the man's grip. I looked him over. Surprisingly, the man was actually quite handsome. He had long, well-kept brown hair that was pulled into a low ponytail running down his back. He was wearing a white dress shirt (stained with what I thought was Edward's blood), and black pants. He was barefoot. On the hand he was using to point the gun, there were bloody and swollen scratches and teeth-marks. His face was sharp and well-defined, and he had green eyes. He would have been a lady-killer for sure.

"I'm pretty good-looking, no?" he said with a smug grin.

"Sure, if you like that type," I replied nonchalantly, raising my weapon slightly. "Now let Edward go. I'm done playing games here!" Edward wasn't able to struggle because of his restraints, but I was sure he nodded. The man gave me a sarcastic, disappointed look.

"Aw, and here I was having a fun time with you, Envy. Ah well. I guess I'll just have to blow the kid's head in…"

"Stop!" The man smirked. Edward had paled, and a sigh broke from his lips when he stopped. "I'll play your damn game, but when I'm done, you're letting Edward go!" He smirked.

"Only if you win," he sang.

"Get on with the damn thing," I growled, lowering the gun towards the floor. Holding it up and pointing it would do no good, I soon realized, because either way I looked at the situation, it would end with me playing some whacked up version of this man's Russian Roulette.


	7. I Love You Too, Shorty

**Last chapter~**

"Are you ready to play this fun little game of mine?" he asked. I glared hard at him, eyes glowing from the pent-up anger of my Philosopher's Stone. He just sat there with his arm around Edward and his gun pointed towards my beautiful blond. I gripped my gun tightly, minding not to pull the trigger. I didn't want to startle him and make something happen.

"As much as I'll ever be," I admitted, slightly defeated. "But you better be ready to pay for what you've made me do for the last week." The man threw his head back and laughed, jostling Edward to join in. All my blond could do was wriggle and squirm to try and gain freedom.

"See, I knew I made the right choice in choosing you as my partner, Envy." The look in his eyes reminded me of an animal who had trapped its prey. "But let's make the deal more interesting. Say, if you break one of the rules, or you lose, I get to keep Edward." He trailed his tongue from Edward's jaw to his ear. Edward tried to move away, but was pulled back. His face was flushing; he was probably embarrassed that he was being treated like that in front of me.

"What!" I didn't realize that my voice had risen until I shouted. "You're fucking kidding me! There's no way you're keeping Edward after this is all over!" I stepped forward, and he pushed the gun to the point where Edward had his head tilted and exposed himself even more. I stopped, eye twitching in anger.

"Our next game is going to be fun," he said, pulling a revolver from behind him. With just one hand, he managed to dump out the bullets, place one back in, and he spun the revolver before putting it back into place. He then pushed the gun against Edward's head. I watched him silently, trying to figure out what it was he was doing. He looked at me and grinned. "We're playing that Russian roulette you were talking about. Remember? It was a few days ago."

I cocked my brow, trying to remember any details of our conversations in which I said I wanted to play Russian roulette. Unfortunately, I remembered very well. "Fine," I spat, "how are we going to do this?"

He grinned, and my heart stopped as he pulled the trigger. I felt my body tense before hearing the empty _click_ as it attempted to shoot the bullet. But there wasn't one. He laughed as I let out a heavy breath and opened the cylinder. The bullet was in the next compartment. Had it spun around just an inch more, my lover would have been dead.

"Do you see what I'm getting at?" the man asked. I couldn't say that I knew specifically, but I had a vague idea of what was going to happen. As if he was reading my mind, he said, "We're going to take turns shooting at your beloved little alchemist here. Whichever one kills him wins!" He started cackling. Edward paled. I think I matched his skin color.

"You're insane!" I cried. "I'm not going to shoot Edward and kill him! And there's sure as hell no way you're going to do it either!" I tried to move, but he dropped the revolver and picked up the other gun, shooting me in the shin. My leg collapsed, and I hit the ground, spitting cuss words into the air. He just smirked as my leg healed, and I plucked out the bullet.

"Fine, I'll just kill him on the spot. I bet the last thing going through his mind would be how his beloved homunculus wasn't brave enough to even try this…"

"Shut up!" I snapped.

"Envy!" I jumped as Edward spoke up. "Just play the stupid game! You can always find a loophole in the rules!" The arm around his neck tightened. "I'd rather be killed by you than this bastard over here!" He grimaced as the gun dug into his shoulder sharply. I flung the bullet at the man, hitting him in the head. He didn't flinch.

"Let's get on with this," I said. "If you're the one that ends up killing him, I'll strangle you." The gun was suddenly pointed towards me.

"Drop your weapon. It won't be fair if you're the one holding two guns." He nodded towards the ground, pointing with his gun as he did. "Drop it. It's only fair." He grinned.

"You have two guns as well; how will it be fair if I only have one?"

"Unlike you, I have a hostage." He smirked. I looked down at my gun, inspecting it, before looking up to him. He was looking angry, impatient. "Well? Do I have to drill a hole into his arm or something for you to get the idea?" Edward swallowed.

"I want to ask you something else before we start this stupid game," I said. He lifted both his brows. He knew I was just stalling, but he was letting me do it. "What's your name?" He started guffawing.

"That's it?" he asked. "You just want to know my name?" I nodded. "Boy, you sure are a character… It's John. John Wilde." He jabbed a thumb to his chest in pride. I rolled my eyes at the smile on his face, and he growled. He pushed the gun harder into Edward's shoulder harshly.

"Well, come on, homunculus!" he said. "I want to start playing now. The police will surely find out that the bomb won't be going off any time soon, and I want to play before those bastards get here." He pointed towards the ground. "So, drop it."

Begrudgingly, I tossed it to the floor, watching it slide underneath the bed. I cursed to myself as the man smiled in triumph. He then pulled the bullet out of the compartment it was in and put it in another. He spun the chamber before snapping it back into place and pulling the hammer down. He then dropped the other gun and put the revolver against Edward's temple. My stomach sank and my heart pounded. It seemed like forever until he pulled the trigger, and I heard the _click_. I sighed, almost passing out. I hadn't realized I had held my breath, and Edward seemed to almost relax as well.

"Your turn, Envy," John said with a smirk. He tossed the gun at me and pointed the pistol towards Edward again. I growled and continued to think about the loophole Edward was talking about. Edward always managed to find some sort of hole to crawl his short self out of (God forgive me). I pulled the hammer down and pointed it towards Edward. My hand shook, and I couldn't get a firm grip on the gun.

"Shit…" I tightened my grip, nearly pulling the trigger back. John grinned and laughed at me. I shut my eyes and pulled.

_Click_

I sighed heavily, relieved. The man smirked and curled his fingers to get me to hand the gun back over. "Come on," he said, "give me the gun! If you even _think_ of pulling the trigger at me, I'll kill your beloved alchemist here." He jostled the end at Edward's ear. Edward didn't seem to be bothered too much by this point, but I could tell he still wasn't comfortable with his situation. Reluctantly, I tossed the gun back to him, clenching my fists.

"Alright."

I ignored his chortling and continued to think about the loophole hint. There had to be something I could do that wasn't against the rules but would also free Edward so I could slug that guy hard without hurting my lover. "Shoot at Edward, and the one who shoots the gun wins…," I murmured quietly. John looked at me, straining to hear.

"Hey, your turn!" he said. "Jeez, you were so much better when you didn't know what I looked like… Is Edward distracting you?" He tightened the arm around Edward's neck, making my lover gasp in surprise. I narrowed my eyes at him. He tossed the gun at me, but I didn't catch it. I was looking at something when it hit my leg.

"Oi! Are you okay?" John laughed as I jumped and picked the gun up. I pulled the hammer back and pointed the gun. He gave me a bemused look. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

_BLAM_!

I lucked out once the bullet shot from the barrel and hit John's arm. He pulled it back from Edward's throat, crying out and gripping it in pain. I threw the gun at him and hit him in the chin. He head got thrown back from the impact. I grabbed Edward as quickly as I could and jumped out of the way as he pulled out his gun and shot at me.

"Goddamn you!" he yelled loudly, cradling his arm and glaring at me fiercely. "What the hell was that!" I smirked.

"You said I could shoot at Edward," I replied. "Your arm just happened to be in front of him. And therefore, since I shot the gun, I won the game. I'm leaving." I placed Edward down onto the floor and pulled the bandana off his eyes. He blinked a few times before grinning. I hugged him. "Thank God you're still alive!"

"I'll kill you!" The man pointed his gun. I transmuted by hand into a claw that resembled Greed's and blocked the shot.

"I'm gonna hit him a few good times," I told Edward without taking my eyes off of John. "Feel free to watch or to close your eyes. It's going to be very bloody." I stood up and walked over to him slowly, watching the fear on his face as he tries to pull the trigger on his gun and realizes that he's out of shots. I lashed out and grabbed his throat tightly in my hand. He gasped and dropped his gun. I held my hand out by my side, fingers curled menacingly.

"Let's see what happens when I rip your ears off," I snarled. The man moved back against the wall, trying to find any escape that he could. I pulled my hand back and socked him hard in the mouth, dislocating the jaw after hearing the muscles holding it together rip. His lip busted, and I saw him spit out a tooth. I slammed my foot into his stomach, feeling ribs give way. His blood overflowed past his lips and down his chin and shirt. I turned my foot, earning a gurgled cry from him.

"Wait, Envy, stop!" I turned back as Edward called out to me. "Just…just spare him. He's not even worth killing…" I examined him as his eyes drooped. He must have been exhausted. I growled and pulled my foot off his chest.

"Fine, I will. But only because _you_ asked me." I grabbed John's collar and lifted him up so that we were eye-to-eye. "If I so much as hear of your name again, I'll hunt you down and take your head off your shoulders." I dropped him against the wall and walked back over, scooping Edward into my arms.

"I can walk!" he protested.

"Sure you can." I looked at him and dipped down for a kiss. "Now shut up and let me carry you." He growled something profane but I just laughed and shrugged it off. I was just glad to have Edward in my arms again. He fell asleep not soon after I had left the opera house. Police stormed in behind us, one man yelling at me. I ignored him.

"Would you like a ride home?" one asked, gesturing to his car. I was dead-tired as well, so I agreed to it. I placed Edward in the car before slipping in and leaning him against my shoulder. The man sat down in front and pulled away from the commotion as the press attempted to speak to the police about why I rushed in. No one would have the real story because the media loved fucking things way out of proportion.

"Where do you live?" I heard the man ask.

"About a mile or two out of the city," I explained. "We're outside the west of the city."

The rest of the drive was silent with Edward's soft snoring and the hum of the engine as the scenery soon changed from skyscrapers and tall buildings to flat lands and trees. After almost an hour of driving he pulled in front of the house. I thanked him silently and pulled Ed out, walking inside as the man pulled away. I didn't think much of the door that had been cracked in half.

"You didn't fix the door?" I jumped as Edward spoke up. I thought he was still passed out.

"I was more focused on getting you back," I admitted, looking down at him. "I thought your auto-mail had been ripped off."

"No," he said, snuggling up close to me as I ascended the stairs. "He must have taken one of my spare arms… Mine broke when I was fighting him." I came into the room that we shared and placed him on the bed. "I don't want to sleep. I'm hungry…"

"Sleep, Ed, and you can eat in the morning," I said, pushing him back against the sheets. "You're exhausted." Edward was about to argue with me. I cut him off by pressing my lips against his, feeling him give in. I sat by him and stroked his hair until he fell asleep. I moved to the other side and lied down beside him, falling asleep myself. I couldn't remember what I dreamt about; it was a little fuzzy.

I woke up around two o'clock in the afternoon. Edward was snoring beside me, still asleep. I sat up and went downstairs. The living room was still a complete mess, and I cleaned it up the best I could. Edward's broken arm was beyond repair. I picked up his coat and threw it over the couch to put in the closet later. I managed to fix some of the broken furniture using an alchemy technique I had seen Edward use multiple times. I heard a clap in the hallway. Edward must have gotten up and fixed the door. I walked in, gasping in surprise as the door resembled something out of a twisted horror movie.

"Change it back, Ed," I scolded. He frowned at me.

"Why? This looks so much more badass!" he argued. His auto-mail looked brand-new. He must have used alchemy to fix it or threw it away and used one of his spares that Winry made him.

"Change it back."

"Fine." He clapped and changed the design. "But _I_ still liked it." He grumbled to himself and I laughed, glad that his experience hadn't broken him. I came up behind him and wrapped my arms around his waist.

"I'm glad to have you back," I said quietly. He placed his hands over mine.

"I'm just glad to be away from that bastard." He turned around and leaned up on his toes, kissing me. I pushed against him, deepening the kiss. He parted his lips and we started in a battle with each other, Edward losing. I had unintentionally pushed him against a wall. He moaned and grabbed a fistful of my hair. We broke for air, foreheads touching, panting.

"Why the hell did I say I was going to leave you?" he asked. I smirked in triumph and kissed him again.

"Because you sometimes lose your temper." I bent down and trailed kissed from his jaw and down his neck. He titled his head to the side, whimpering slightly. He didn't crouch away in fear or try and beat me away like I thought he would. I nuzzled my face into his neck and laughed. He could feel me smiling.

"What's so funny?" he demanded, thinking that the moment had just been shattered.

"I'm just surprised, is all," I replied, pulling from his neck to kiss him again. "You're not cringing in fear. Why not?" I looked him in the eyes. He froze for a moment, trying to contemplate as to why he wasn't trying to get away from me. He swallowed.

"I trust you," he said. "That bastard couldn't ever hold my interest for a second." He leaned forward and kissed my neck. I pulled him tighter in an embrace. His arms wrapped around me, squeezing. He sighed. "I love you, Envy."

I paused for a second. I kissed his ear.

"Love you too, shorty," I breathed. He jumped and pulled away, looking at me. "What?"

His eyes searched my face for a few moments. "I'm not _that_ short," he retorted. I laughed and kissed him again, pushing him against the wall.

"Sure you're not, Ed."

**I hope you enjoyed the fanfiction. Thank you for your reviews.**


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